Summary: Just returning from a two-year stint in Belgium, Dotson is working on reassimilating into American culture and finding a sense of normalcy back "home."

I can remember moving in 6th grade. The feelings of anxiousness and fear ran down my spine every time I thought about the first day. What would I wear? Who would I sit next to at lunch? Would I fit in? Though a fragile time, I survived. It took longer than I like to admit to assimilate, but I did it. But what about the adults that move away and have to come back and fit in? What happens when you leave everything you know and are accustomed to only to be thrown back to the wolves two years later?

Stephen and I accepted the job in Liege, Belgium as a newly married couple. The thoughts of traveling Europe were very attractive, and to do this with the one you love was the icing on the cake. Naïve to think the move would be easy, we learned rather quickly it wouldn't be a cakewalk. Liege resided in the French-speaking region of Belgium; Stephen and I spoke about two words upon arrival. We learned survival phrases and got by. As a married couple we were stronger than ever; nothing fixes communication issues better than moving to a country where your spouse is the only other English speaker! We tackled the adventure together, he and I. We eventually found friends, became part of a social network, traveled extensively and became part of the "group." We also missed two births, an engagement, a death and countless other events in the lives of our close friends and families we'd left behind. We couldn't wait to get back, but couldn't bear the thought of leaving. We invested so much of ourselves in finding new friends, and to leave them without knowing if you would see them again was heart-breaking. We missed so much in the lives of our family and friends here that we felt like outsiders.

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About the Author Just returning from a two-year stint in Belgium, I'm working on reassimilating into American culture and finding a sense of normalcy back "home." My piece discusses the dichotomy of wanting to be home and the heartbreaking realization that your European adventure is over. I'm a novice writer, and have no prior publications. Check out Katie's blog

First Published: Jun 30, 2009